Water guns are among the most popular of childs' toys. Given the competitiveness of the toy industry, it is not surprising that many types of water guns have been developed.
Traditionally, water guns were configured as pistols, and pistol water guns operate by means of a pressure build-up on water held in the pistol. The pressure build-up in such devices is induced by pulling a trigger on the pistol, and the pressurized water is expelled from the pistol through a nozzle.
Because the range and volume of water expelled in such water pistols is limited by the throw of the pistol trigger, relatively sophisticated water guns have been introduced for expanding both the range of water guns and the volume of the water stream that the water guns can produce. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,239 to Salmon et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,480 to Shindo disclose water guns that have elastic bladders for holding pressurized water and for releasing the water in a stream when a trigger on the water gun is pulled. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,674 to Jones et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,437 to D'Andrade et al. disclose water guns that pressurize water by establishing fluid communication between a water reservoir and an air reservoir, and providing means for pressurizing the air reservoir to expel water from the gun when the gun's trigger is pulled.
While some of the above-mentioned water guns have met with success, all unfortunately possess one or more structural and operational drawbacks. In the case of bladder-type guns, the bladder can rupture, thereby rendering the gun useless. Also, the range of bladder-type guns is somewhat limited, because the operating pressure of such guns is limited by the amount of expansion which the bladder can undergo.
Pressurized air guns, on the other hand, rely on a pressurized reservoir, and if the water tight integrity of the reservoir is compromised, e.g., by small cracks, the ability of the reservoir to hold pressure (and, thus, the range of the water gun) is reduced. Unfortunately, in the rough and tumble of child's play, the pressurized reservoirs often do become cracked.
Furthermore, all of the above-mentioned water guns emit water in a thin stream. While the range of the thin stream may vary from gun to gun, it is nevertheless a common characteristic of most water guns. Moreover, the above-mentioned water guns do not as a rule provide acoustic or tactile indications of water "firing". As recognized by the present invention, such non-visual indications of "firing", along with the capability to emit a large volume of water in a burst instead of the traditional thin stream, would greatly enhance the pleasure of a user of such a device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water gun which emits a relatively large volume of water. Another object of the present invention is to provide a water gun that emits a relatively large volume of water in a burst. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water gun that provides tactile and acoustic indications of firing. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a water gun that is easy to use and cost-effective to manufacture.